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DETROIT — As Ford Motor ramps up production of its electric F-150 pickup, it’s not giving up on offering new, highly profitable performance models with gasoline engines.
The Detroit automaker Monday morning unveiled the F-150 Raptor R, a new version of its high-performance, off-road pickup with a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 engine that produces 700 horsepower and 640 foot-pounds of torque. The truck will start at $109,145, including destination and delivery charges.
Amid pent-up demand and record high prices, automakers have been adding performance variants to their lineups to beef up profit margins before they transition more to electric vehicles, which can offer high performance but have lower margins than gas-powered vehicles.
The new “R” version looks similar to the company’s F-150 Raptor, but it includes some design tweaks and offers a significant boost in performance and off-road parts. For comparison, the regular 2022 F-150 Raptor is powered by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine that produces 450 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque. Ford said the Raptor R’s top speed is 112 mph, limited by the vehicle’s 37-inch tires.
Ford has largely dominated the high-performance pickup truck market since launching the first Raptor model in 2009. But in recent years, Stellantis‘ Ram Trucks brand has been grabbing headlines with its Ram 1500 TRX, a 702-horsepower pickup with supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine and 650 foot-pounds of torque.
The new Raptor falls just shy of the performance of the Ram TRX, but it offers different performance parts. It’s also the highest-powered engine Ford offers. The company previously used the engine for the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
Carl Widmann, chief engineer of Ford performance, said the vehicle is the result of customers “demanding the sound and power of a V8 back in Raptor.” Ford hasn’t offered a V-8 engine in a Raptor model since 2014.
Production of the F-150 Raptor R will start in the fall at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan, the company said. Ordering for the vehicle opens Monday through franchised Ford dealers.
Current Raptor trucks start at about $70,000 — around $40,000 over a base F-150 but less expensive than the top luxury version of the F-150 that starts at roughly $77,000.